In spite of the great advances in chemotherapeutics, infectious diseases are still one of the leading causes of death in the world. Amongst the most problematic clinically relevant pathogens at present, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ranks as one of the most difficult bacteria to treat. Interest in plants with antimicrobial properties has revived as a consequence of current problems associated with the use of antibiotics. The objective: was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of a compound isolated from Ibicella lutea (Lindl.) Van Eselt. (Martyniaceae) and some of its derivatives, against methicillin-sensitive and MRSA. Compound 1 was isolated and identified as previously described and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 1 and simple analogs were determined by the microdilution technique. Compound 1 (11-hydroxystearic acid 11-0-(6-0-acetyl-β-D-grucopyranoside) showed a MIC of 0.06 mM for S. aureus ATCC 6538p. All the synthetic analogs and precursors presented higher MIC values. Compound 1 showed antimicrobial activity against different strains of MRSA. These results suggest that the glycosidic and acidic moieties are necessary for the antimicrobial activity under study.